Gossip Worthy Monday: Bowtie Pasta, Crostini, and Martinis!

Yay!  Gossip Girl is back!  To celebrate, we decided to be corny and make bowtie pasta (get it?*), crostini, and martinis.  We loved the idea of it being so basic, yet open to interpretation.   And I mean honestly, who doesn't love any excuse to eat carbs?

My version: (Vegan) Sundried Tomato, Olive, and Basil Bowties with Vodka Sauce, Mango Avocado Crostini, and a Vanilla Martini with Lime

 Ingredients:

For the Pasta:

- One box bowtie pasta

- 2 cups tomato sauce 

- 3/4 cup vodka 

- 1/4 cup vegan creamer 

- 1/4 cup coconut milk 

- 1/2 cup vegan parmesean cheese 

- 2 tablespoons cornstarch 

- One small can sliced black olives

- One package sundried tomatoes 

- 1/2 cup fresh basil 

For the Crostini:

- One loaf baguette bread 

- Extra Virgin Olive Oil 

- One mango 

- One avocado

- 2 cloves garlic 

- 1/2 one yellow onion 

- One jalapeño pepper

- Juice from 1/2 a lime 

- 2-3 tablespoons fresh cilantro 

- Salt and pepper to taste 

For the Martini: 
(which my boyfriend and I drank out of whiskey glasses because we're classy like that) 

- Absolut Vanilla Vodka 

- Extra Dry Vermouth

- Juice from 1/2 a lime 

- Martini Olives 

Method: 

- Preheat your oven to 375°F.

- Begin to boil water for your pasta, and cook to your preference.  We love al dente.

- Simmer the vodka and tomato sauce in a saucepan over low heat.  Allow it to reduce for about 20 minutes.

- While your sauce reduces (stir constantly!), make the mango avocado spread.  Toss the mango, avocado, garlic, onion, pepper, and cilantro in a food processor.  When it's almost as smooth as you'd like, add the lime juice, salt, and pepper, and continue to process to finished.

- Slice the baguette into very thin slices, and line on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and toss into the oven.  Bake for about 8 minutes, or until golden. 

- Back to the sauce.  Stir in the creamer, cornstarch, and parmesean cheese, and continue to stir over medium heat. 

- Once your pasta is cooked to your liking, add the olives, sundried tomatoes, and chopped basil.  Toss with the vodka sauce!

- Your crostini should just be finishing up in the oven.  Take it out, allow to sit for a moment, and top with the mango avocado spread.  

- Oh, I didn't forget about the martini.  Add 2 ounces vodka and 1 ounce vermouth with a squeeze of lime juice per martini.  Toss in an olive and you're all done!  

Chelsea's version: (Vegan) Bowtie Pasta Salad with Fresh Peppers, Green Beans, and Capers tossed with Balsamic Vinegar, Kalamata Crostini, and a Lemon Raspberry Martini

  

Ingredients: 

For the Pasta:  

- One box bowtie pasta 

- One yellow, one red, and one orange pepper 

- One red onion 

- 1/4 cup green beans 

- 1/4 cup fresh basil 

- 1 tablespoon capers 

-  1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

- 1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar

- Salt and pepper to taste 

For the Crostini: 

- One loaf olive baguette 

- 1/2 cup Kalamata olives (smoked if you're able to do so!)

- 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

- Salt and Pepper to taste 

For the Martini: 

- Gin

- Chambord

- Limoncello

- Lemon juice

- Raspberry club soda

- Lemon rind twist 

Method: 

- I'm not going to bore you through this again.  Just read the directions for my stuff, and do the same things with Chelsea's ingredients with a few changes:

   - Chelsea's dressing is wonderfully simple.  Just wisk the oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper together, and viola!

   - For her tapenade, just toss everything in a food processor.  Pretty much the same as mine, but without the second step.

   - Chelsea isn't all about measuring (and honestly, I only do when I'm posting my stuff..).  We're going to suggest using 1 ounce gin, 1 ounce chambord, 1/2 an ounce limoncello, juice from 1/4 a lemon, and about 2-3 ounces raspberry soda.  

That's it!  Hurry up and grab your dinner, your dogs, your best friend on iChat, and get ready for another amazing episode!  Xoxo, Gossip Amandah.

* You know, bows.  They're girly.  Duh.